Medical support transforming lives

Mobility Aids - transforming lives


Dominic's story  

          

Despite being wheelchair-bound, prior to his admission to hospital last year Dominic was a very active member of a local gym going several times a week to exercise and keep fit. He is not the kind of person who will be discouraged by his recent loss of ability/function and just sees it as a change in the path to remain active and fit. A MotaMED excercise bike is the ideal piece of equipment which will allow him to remain active and healthy, despite his new limitations.

Dominic will use the  MotoMED  exercise bike  every day to stimulate his extremely weak legs/arms. Whilst in hospital for eight months of last year the neuro physios recommended daily use of this bike and for him to continue once he had returned home. The specialist mobility aid cost £4,900 with TVF awarding a grant of £2,695 to enable Dominic to purchase one as he had raised the balance from a number of other charities.

"I would like to sincerely thank the Victoria foundation and all of their supporters for their charitable grant to support me purchasing this Motamed exercise bike.

It was a very large donation and without it I would not have been able to secure the full funding for this exercise equipment, which I greatly needed to allow me to keep my muscles moving and functioning, following my recent sepsis attack which left me severely disabled.

The impact this Motamed bike has and will continue to make on my quality of life is immeasurable.

As soon as I've got the bike I have been using it every day, without fail. This new gifted form of exercise invigorates my well-being and emotions more than I ever thought it could and I feel the difference especially in the level of my spasticity when I haven't  used  bike for a few hours.

This grant has helped me get my goal of purchasing the bike and this will be a lifelong invaluable piece of fitness equipment that I will be able to use regardless of my function on any given day."

PLEASE DONATE NOW TO HELP MORE PEOPLE LIKE DOMINIC

 

Dylan's Story 

   

Dylan, a local youngster, has Rett Syndrome a devastating genetic disease which robs previously healthy girls of their abilities to walk, talk and use their hands. Dylan is completely dependent on others for every aspect of her life and requires 24-hour care. The lightweight wheelchair will replace the heavy wheelchair she has currently which is uncomfortable and is putting a huge strain on her mother’s back and hips when pushing it and lifting it in and out of the car which she has do a minimum of 4 times a day.   The Victoria Foundation was able to help and awarded a grant of £3,735 to fund a lightweight wheelchair that Dylan so desperately needs. 

"Dear supporters of The Victoria Foundation,

Thank you so much for your generosity which has led to a grant for a new wheelchair for our daughter, Dylan. This is a lightweight wheelchair, half the weight of her current chair, but still able to accommodate the various supports that Dylan needs to keep her secure and promote a position that will not exacerbate her scoliosis.

This new wheelchair will also be able to navigate rougher terrain which will really open up the world for Dylan, as she loves to be with nature. At the moment, anything other than smooth paths is a very uncomfortable ride. The lighter weight will also take the strain off our back and hips as we need to lift it in and out of the car multiple times each day.  

Thank you again for supporting The Victoria Foundation and helping children with disabilities. As a girl with Rett Syndrome, Dylan faces plenty of challenges but this grant will make a huge difference to her life."  Dylan's parents - Marc and Jenny

We receive urgent requests each month from local families for mobility aids for their children - please support us now and help to transform more young lives. 100% of all donations we receive help to transform lives and are not used to cover administration costs. 

PLEASE DONATE NOW TO HELP MORE YOUNGSTERS LIKE DYLAN

 

Courtney's story 

  

Courtney, a local teenager,  has a very rare condition called Cohen Syndrome and is extremely Clinically Vulnerable, she has spent almost all of the pandemic shielding at home.  She also has retinal dystrophy and currently only has 2 degrees of vision left. It’s important for her family to make as many visual memories as they can. The Victoria Foundation was able to help and awarded a £2,000 towards a specialist buggy so that Courtney could go out with her family and create lots of visual memories. 

We wanted to thank the Victoria foundation and their supporters for the grant to purchase a specialist buggy for Courtney.  It will greatly improve her quality of life and means she will be able to take part in all outdoor activities. Thank you all for making this possible.  Also yes we are definitely up for the 5k …..  It would be lovely to give back and to be able to help others.’ We would like to update you and say another big thank you for the funding for Courtney’s buggy.  She’s really enjoying being able to go out on dog walks with the family and has said how comfortable the chair is. It really has improved her quality of life and we are so very grateful’  Harrie Courtney's mum

Courtney, her mum and friend Nikki completed a 5k from Surbiton  to Kingston along the river and back to raise money in aid of The Victoria Foundation to fund another specialist mobility aid for a youngster like Courtney in our community -  they have raised over £900!

After completing the challenge Harrie said  ‘We all really enjoyed it, thankfully the weather was on our side. Courtney felt very proud to be raising money for other children, she had a great time taking part in the 5k. Courts walked/run the final stretch and said she was “so exhausted” but she had a big smile on her face the whole way.  Courtney would like to thank each and everyone of you who donated, shared, and supported her. We hope that the money raised will help make a difference to another child’s life like the buggy has made to ours.   Thank you all so very much. ‘ 

Please donate now to help raise £2,000 to help another youngster. Every donation will help - please share with friends and on social media too! Thank you so much for any support you can give - every donation will help to make a difference.

PLEASE SPONSOR COURTNEY NOW AND HELP TO SUPPORT ANOTHER FAMILY 

 

To find out more - see TVF's latest video

 

Dante's story 

Dante is a cheerful boy who is non verbal ASD.  There are many challenges the family face, but the most daunting one is to manage when they are out and about. Dante’s behaviour is erratic, He has zero danger awareness and often has to have physical intervention to help calm him and prevent an incident from occurring. He was being strapped into a buggy that was designed for a younger child and it was difficult to keep him safe and comfortably contained within this buggy.  Upon realising that we would realistically require a more specialist buggy, the family spoke to Freedom for Kids who kindly took the time to go through Dante’s needs, what his challenges were and what it was teh family needed as a mobility aid. When the fmaily went through the options, the prices were quite far from their budget, especially as mum is unable to work as she is a full time carer to two young disabled children. Freedom for Kids explained that there are some charities that they work with that may be able to offer funding to help pay for the buggy that would have been the most suitable for Dante. The Victoria Foundation was recommended and we were delighted to help by funding a specialist buggy for Dante. 

  

"We contacted and got a fast, friendly response. It was a simple application process and it was greatly appreciated amongst all of the complicated forms and applications that usually come with children with additional needs. We were granted the funding and within a few days, we had our new buggy for Dante.

The difference has been night and day. He is more comfortable, far more secure which makes his meltdowns more manageable and it has relieved a lot of the concerns and stresses that we have had as his carers. He is not struggling for space or able to escape the secure 5 point harness. The buggy is easily transportable and so easy to use, that the immensely stressful outdoor trips are more of a pleasure. Dante enjoys being in there, he can actually also nap in his buggy comfortably when tired, which, given his age and how tired he does get when overwhelmed or overstimulated, is a fantastic element that has in fact reduced the amount of meltdowns we would normally experience during a trip out of the home.

We no longer have to fear him escaping and running into a dangerous or hazardous situation, we can manage him quickly and effectively when his behaviour becomes challenging, and his buggy will last him for a long time and will allow him to grow and remain comfortable.

Without The Victoria Foundation, this would not have been possible. At best, we would have been provided with a standard buggy from the wheelchair services which would have been grossly inadequate for Dante and his needs. When you granted the funding that allowed us to get the Special Tomato EIO, you changed our lives for the better in a way we could never have anticipated. Thank you so much for everything you have done, we will always have so much gratitude for the new possibilities that you have given Dante and us!"

PLEASE DONATE NOW TO HELP ANOTHER FAMILY - EVERY DONATION WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE 

Anna's story 

Anna, who lives in Twickenham, has Cerebral Palsy and Hydrocephalus and needed a wheelchair for long distances as she can walk a little way but gets very tired. She had a wheelchair but it was heavy and she relied on her parents to push her around. As a teenager she was eager to start taking part in weekend activities without her parents, to travel to school independently, and to go shopping or to the cinema with friends.

The Victoria Foundation was able to help and provided Anna with a light-weight wheelchair which has helped to transform her life. She can self-propel her new wheelchair, is less reliant on her parents to push her around, and is able join in activities and outings with her friends.

‘I would like to say thank you so much to The Victoria Foundation for helping me to get my day chair. It has definitely changed my life, for the better, ….. before I got this chair I had NHS one, it was heavy and cumbersome, this one is the complete opposite, it makes me feel like a normal teenage girl and without your charity I wouldn't have got this chair, at least not for a very long time. …’ Anna, Twickenham

Meet more of those TVF has helped on the charity's latest video 

The Victoria Foundation also makes grants to charities with shared objectives including Whizz-Kidz.

Find out more about how we are transforming lives

‘We are extremely grateful to the Trustees of The Victoria Foundation for the generous support that you have shown to Whizz-Kidz. You have helped …to change the lives of Ellias and Christopher. This would not have been possible without your kind and vital support.’ Whizz-Kidz

Christopher’s Story

Christopher, from Twickenham, has Cerebral Palsy, which affects the use of his arms and legs. His NHS wheelchair was completely unsuitable and was holding him back from being able to enjoy life. I am delighted to give you an update on the enormous impact that The Victoria Foundation support has had on him, 3 months later.

Christopher’s Dad, John, said: "Since receiving his new chair, the changes we see are fantastic". The new chair is so much more adaptable and compact so Christopher can get around the house with a lot more ease. Getting on and off public and school buses is much better now too due to its narrower width. Days out are so much easier and enjoyable for us all! Also, as the sides on his new wheelchair are lower, Christopher is able to transfer himself in and out of the seat rather than us having to lift him in and out of it. This is having a great improvement in his strength and movement which is absolutely fantastic to see.

Thank you so much …… for everything. As Christopher gets older, it was getting progressively harder to lift him in and out of his NHS chair and push him around; but now, his new wheelchair has given us new levels of freedom as a family”.  Lyn - Christopher’s mum

Christopher wanted to add: “My new wheelchair is so good. I can get in and out of the seat myself. I love it!”

Ellias's Story

Fifteen-year-old Ellias from London was born with Downs Syndrome and has impaired speech. After using a trike at his school, Ellias’s teachers suggested that it would be fantastic for him to have one to use at home. Therefore, the family applied to Whizz-Kidz for a specialised trike that would suit his needs as he continues to grow. Now Ellias is learning day by day how to use his trike safely, and he is building up stamina and independence at his own pace Ellias

Ellias’s mum, Jennifer, said: “Ellias would always ask me to get him a bicycle, especially when he would watch his older brothers playing on theirs. He didn’t understand that it wasn’t as easy to buy him a bike that would suit his needs.

Ellias also loved the trikes that were at his school. He enjoyed having fun riding them in the playground with his friends and the trikes also helped to improve his strength and balance. Therefore, we decided to apply to Whizz-Kidz for a specialised trike that we knew would be tailor-made for Ellias’s specific needs. When the trike arrived, Ellias was so excited – he couldn’t wait to try it out! I knew the trike would be perfect to help improve his fitness and stamina whilst he could enjoy having fun like any other young boy his age.

Ellias still struggles with his awareness of danger; therefore it may be a while before he is able to ride his trike to the park with his brothers without help. However, now we have the right equipment for him, I am very hopeful that Ellias will continue to grow in independence and that he will learn to explore the world around him using his trike at his own pace. To buy the trike independently would have been incredibly expensive for our family and so we are very thankful to Whizz-Kidz for providing it for Ellias. We don’t take it for granted and I can’t thank the charity enough for all of their help."

Can you help TVF provide mobility aids?

If you can make a donation to help fund mobility aids for children and youngers please get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.

T: 020 8332 1788      Email

Donate online

Donate by bank transfer to HSBC TVF Account: 01 56 33 27   TVF Sort Code: 40 26 12

Please support The Victoria Foundation and help to transform more lives